On the Tombstones and Monuments Erected Ln Memory of the With

ON T HE TOMBSTONES AND MONUMENTS ER ECT ED lN MEM OR Y O F T HE W IT H H IS T OR ICAL IN TR OD UCTION A ND N OTE S . B Y A M E S G IB S O N J , “ , “ ’ EDITOR OF T HE BURNS CALENDAR BURN S BIRT H-DA Y BOOK , , are , are. ’ S u fferin for T ru t s sake g h , Is fortitu de to hi hest vi to r g c y, A nd t o the fai t ful deat the ate of life , h , h g D T 1 6 BUCH A NA N T UNN 8: WR IGH , 7 S R EET . N 1 A VE M A R IA L A NE LONDO : 5 . P R E F A C E . “ H E S In following ketches, illustrating s cription s on the T ombstones and Monuments erected in Mem ory of the ” ’ r A mrosmn a nd Covenante s, were written for the S al /{coa ts H era ld in d , and appeared that paper uring 1 8 S the spring and summer of 7 5 . ince then , they have been carefully revised and extended, and in this more convenient and permanent form the A uthor trusts they may be considered worthy of filling a special chapter in the Churchyard records of S cotland . T he purpose of this work is to interpret the story of the Covenanters with particular reference to the Inscriptions on the Gravestones and M onu to r r ments, b ing these memo ials of a bygone age r re— into a connected se ies, and set them in a slight A i i e P r f ace. f h ramework of history . T e only merit they assume i s that of strict fidelity to well-authenticated facts ; there is no pretension made to independent re s r r r earch o o iginality, but eve y available source of in formati on has been consulted which could throw light upon the names of the Martyrs . If our authorities are not quoted in footnotes of r O eference, the weight of bligation is not less sincere in making a general acknowledgment of indebtedness to such Historians of the S uff erings f d Wodrow De o the Church of Scotlan as , Foe, ‘ M Crie or Crookshank, , and others ; not f getting those valuable chapters of the persecuting times in L preserved ocal Histories , as well as to nume rous works published on the T raditions of the Covenanters . W S hen these ketches were first projected, the only collection of Epitaphs on the T ombstones of the Covenanters was to be found as A ddenda to ” T he r Cloud of Witnesses , but p esented in such a bald and meagre style as to excite a long- cherished wish to give them a separate and more distinctive N character. o sooner had these plans been arranged and considerable progress made to supply a weekly ’ m/d column for the A ra roma n H e , extending over a P e r fa ce. iii F “ T he period of six months , than the irst S eries of M r S R e . arty Graves of cotland, by the v John H . T n . A s homson, made its appeara ce a work of great r t merit and autho i y, it seemed to fulfil every require ment, and nearly frustrated our intention of adding a ’ stone to the Covenanters Cairn ; but the prospect of “ finishing the whole of our j ourney long before A ” r r Count y Minister started on his fu ther travels , rr in If encouraged us to ca y out our orig al intent . a this g rland is made up with a less skilful hand, let us hope it may meet with a kindly welcome from that numerous class of readers whose hearts warm to the a memory of the Coven nters, but who have neither r time nor inclination to study an elaborate histo y, and may be more easily satisfied with this attempt to set forth a concise summary of these R ecords left O f erse u tion and t he Coven an t t imes p c , W ose e o ri n s t rou S o t lan d to t is ou r h ch g h gh c h h . C ON TE N TS . PAGE PAGE H I RICA L IN ODUCT ION ST O TR , B LMA GHIE A , B LM L A AC ELLAN , A B R RH ILL, MBU N ’ ‘ N C A S E IHA , CA M PSIE , E EAGL SHA M, CA RLUKE, E CCLE SMA GIRDLE , CA T HCA R ’I‘ , E IN U D B R GH, CLOSEBURN , F ENw rcx O N , C LM O ELL, F O R GA NDENN Y, C RA IGHA UGB , I C RA IGMOD E, a os sma EL C , Coni efzfs . H AMILT ON , NE WMILNS INCHBELLY BRIDGE , , NORT H BERWICK IRVINE , , ELLS K , ILMA R NOCK K , KIR K A NDREW S R U ON E N LLI G R E , IR KCONNEL K , KIRKCUDBRIGu 'r S T A NDREW S , , IRKMICHA EL S ORN K , , IR KPA T RICK-IRO NGRA S T ON EIIODsz K Y, , IR K or S HOT ’ I’ S ST ONE P A RK K , , N S T RA IT O , L A NA R K, L ESM A HA GOW Loc m u ‘ , LOCH SKER R OW , T R L L OCII OO , L ONGFOR GA N , LOUDON , M A GUS M UIR , VA LEDIC’ ‘ N IIO , LIS T OF ILL US T R A TION S . ’ ENT G R E FRIA R S EDINBUR G H F rontis iece. M A RT Y R s M ON UM Y , , , p ’ W K BLA C KA DDER S T O MBST ONE. NORT H BER IC , T OMBS T O NE O F T HE S EVEN M A R T R S A Y R Y , ’ P EDEN S G RA VE O LD CUM NOC K , , ’ F M A RT Y R s M O NUM ENT , DUM RIES , H T R ICAL INT R D T I N IS O O UC O . T he lover of freedo m can n ever forget T he gloriou s p easan t b an d — ’ H is sires t hat o n S co tia s moorlands met ; E a na e like a seal on the eart is set ch m h , ” T he d of his at er and p ri e F h l . ’ H E twenty- eight years persecution of the S r R estora cottish Covenante s , from ! the tion of Charles II. to the Kevolu tion of 1 68 8 r r th , is a memo able chapte in e r i histo y of civ l and religious freedom , and to no passage in her history do genuine Scotsmen look back with such national pride as to this brave protest an d o o r W resistance against f reign c nt ol and aggression . e can neither forget their sufferings nor underrate their the r r of h services, and as yea s roll past, the memo y t e Covenanters is regarded with deeper gratitude and r reve ence . T he b Covenant is now a fee le sound, and is only 8 T0772 3 5 519 o t/ze C ve 5 071 f o na nlers . r cu ious as a historical document, whose bond of union ceased when the conflict ended ; for, like all popular w standards, it had something local and special, narro - and one sided, and with the imperfection of the age r which inspi ed it, but it had also something universal T h and perpetual , adapted for a better life . e motive or r ffi power was a temp a y and insu cient instrument, o but the principle inv lved , and the results to be ro r fi w ught out , we e of lasting bene t to mankind, as the seeds of a more expansive life were being s own r i r in the free, pu e exerc se of eligious belief and worship . It is only fair to admit that along with a terrible earnestness there mingled many elements of blindness and bigotry among the Covenanters but the power of suff ering and adversity developed a rare moral r r z cou age , a oused a burning eal and devotion , and awakened S cotland to a spiritual consciousness which r has never since been pe mitted to die away. From r rr that day forwa d the cu ent set in, slowly but surely, toward a truer recognition of and a larger concession In to the rights of conscience ; and these days, when all men are free to exercise the right of private judg r r S ment in matte s of faith , and the suppo t of a tate church , like religion itself, must be accepted as a purely personal responsibility, accountable to no earthly r t ibunal , we cannot but feel thankful to the men whose n r r ster unyielding dete mination was rema kable, who suffe d b a nd tritun hed in n ot re , led, p a struggle which ’ ’ ‘ H zs zomml I 9 S r r r ou only saved cotland , but eally secu ed the eligi s freedom of England .

Load more